A Digital (with a tip of the hat to a Da Da-ist) Exploration of the Taj Mahal
Nina Paley said “all art is derivative” in 2010, and I wonder if this topic has been on the minds of artists and creators of original works for much longer? After all, mosaics have been an important part of craftsmanship and construction for ages. Pietra dura,* mosiac and calligraphic works often eclipse the other aspects of famous buildings (or perhaps enhance them) since long before the days of the building of the Taj Mahal (1632). But is fine craftsmanship the same as “art”?
This is topic I wonder about for sure, falling myself more on the side of ‘art’ than ‘craftsmanship’ in general. Yet, I’m developing a completely new admiration for quiet craftspeople and a desire to perfect my own craft as well.
Google Arts and Culture’s Taj Mahal: the symphony of love story is lovely, especially about the 3 of 4 views of the building looking the same on viewer’s approach. The River Yamuna’s approach to the Taj Mahal is said to have the only unique, and most highly-detailed facade, and it was used as the emperor’s private entry. Also there is clearly more to explore in the symmetrical gardens hinted at in the story.
Collage & Mosiac: more than the sum of its parts?
Contemplations of how musical sampling works in rap, and how building visual art from older visual art can yield something lovely, but what is truly “original?” Can anything be truly original? I have no answers, but I do recognize how so many of us in fields of creative expression stand on the shoulders of those who came before.
The Art of Recycling: Mosiac Style
A Practicum, maybe?
Mosiacs often are made of old broken pottery, remade into something incredible and “new.” To me, this makes mosiac perhaps recycling in its finest form. How to make a mosiac from Instructables is here.
*Portable mosiac made with cut gems
Quote citation with awesome video to view: Oct 2010 The Marginalian
Dada-ism’s most famous representative’s story richly told in The Art Republic
Related and amazing art of Japanese pottery rehab Kintsugi
